Safety-razor-stropping device.



A L. 1). SAXTON. SAFETY RAZOR STROPIING DEVICE. APPLIOAIION FILEDJAILZ'T, 1911.

Patented Feb. 13,1912.

WITNESSES II /VENT I? GA/ I M y ATTORNEY LIONEL D. SAXTON', OF NEW YORK,N. Y.

SAFETY-RAZOR-STROPPING DEVICE.

, Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Feb. 13, 1912.

Application filed January 27, 1911. Serial No. 605,078.

To all whom 'it may concern:

Be it known that I, LIONEL D. SAXTON, a citizen of the United States,residing in the borough of Manhattan, city, county, and State of NewYork, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Safety-Razor-Stropping Devices, of which the following is a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a stropping device of thischaracter which will withstand the severe wear and tear to which suchdevices are subjected, and which will present the blade forcibly to thestrop when moving in either direction, and in which the parts arereadily separable and easily assembled.

The principal elements of this stropping device are a sliding carriage Badapted to move back and forth on a strap strop, a holding frame A forsaid carriage adapted to slide back and forth thereon and an oscillatingblade holder G pivoted to said carriage and adapted to swing into activeposition at either end thereof.

Figure 1 is a side elevation of the device. Fig. 2 is an end view. Fig.3 is a longitudinal vertical sectional view. Fig. 4 is a plan view ofthe stropper. Fig. 5 is a view of the strop holding spring. Fig. 6 is anedge view of same inverted. Fig. 7 is a View of the blade holderunlocked for the reception of the blade.

The holding frame A comprises a base or bottom 12, a dependent handle 13secured therein and sidewalls 14 14 preferably integral with the base.The base 12 is preferably in the form of a crosspiece connecting thesidewalls at or about the center of their length. The handle 13 ispreferably detachably connected with the base 12, any suitable meansbeing employed. In the form shown the handle 13 is provided with a stem16 which projects through a perforation in the base and a cotter pin 17is passed through the stem for holding the handle in place. The sidewalls 14 14 are provided beyond the bottom 12 on opposite sides thereofwith inward flanges 11 in the same plane with said bottom and preferablyintegral therewith. These flanges serve as tracks or ways on which thecarriage slides, and they are provided near opposite ends with upturnedfingers 20. The side walls 14 14 are offset and their upper parts standoutward beyond the vertical plane of the lower parts. Each sidewall isprovided with two vertical slots 15 15 open at'the upper edge thereof.

The carriage B is adapted to fit between the lower portions of thesidewalls of the holding frame A in such manner that the frame andcarriage are freely slidable one on the other, and spaces are leftbetween the upper opposite portions of said walls and the carriage. Thecarriage comprises two sides 18 18, two crossrods 22 22 connecting saidsides at their ends and a crossrod 23 connecting said sides at or nearthe center of their length and in a plane below said crossrods. Thesides are provided at their lower edges with inward flanges 19 19, whichride on the flanges 11 11 which constitute the track of the holdingframe. One or both of these carriage flanges is provided at 0ppositeends of the carriage with inward lugs 21 21 which abut against theupturned fingers 20 20 on the flanges of the holding frame, said lugsand fingers serving as stops to arrest the relative movements of thecarriage and holding frame on completion of a stroke in eitherdirection. An elevated transverse rod or shaft 26 is supported at itsopposite ends centrally of the carriage in the side plates thereof abovethe central crossrod .23 and also in a plane above the end crossrods 2222. This elevated crossrod .26 pro jects outward beyond said sideplatesforming exterior trunnions on which the frame of the blade holder turns,while the part of said rod which spans the space between said sideplates serves as a pintle for the independently hinged jaw of the bladeclamp hereinafter described. 4

A strop 25 constructed of leather or other suitable material in theusual form of a strap strop is passed between the walls of the carriageB underneath and in contact with the crossrods 22 22 and above thecentral crossrod 23. A single plate spring 24 is disposed in thecarriage for the purpose of clamping said strop 25 against the endcrossrods 22 22 and also for supporting it firmly for action of the edgeof the blade to be sharpened as hereinafter described. This plate springis preferably rectangular or approximately so and may be struck out ofsheet steel or other suitable material. A rib 36 struck up from theunder side of the sheet forms a semi-socket which engages the centralcrossbar 23 on which the spring is supported. The plate 24 extendsoutward in opposite directions from opposite sides of the rib 36 towardor to the ends of the carriage and comprises upwardly curved springportions 37 37 and flatsurfaces 38 38 the latter being preferably provicled at their outer edges with downturned lips 39 39. The flatsurfaces 38 38 form contact with the strop at points inside thecrossrods 22 22 and opposite the bearing points of the blade to besharpened, and the downturned lips 39 39 facilitate the introduction ofthe strop into the carriage. The plate spring may have slots as shown toincrease its elasticity.

The oscillating blade holder C is pivotally mounted on the carriage B.In the form shown this blade holder comprises a frame composed of sideplates 27 27 and a connecting crossplate 28 preferably integraltherewith. These side plates are disposed between the sidewalls of theholding frame A and the side plates of the carriage B and are pivoted onthe outer ends or trunnions of the rod 26 of the carriage. Each of theside plates comprises a triangular base and a straight extension tongueat the apex thereof. These side plates are provided with lateral studs35 35 disposed in triangular relation with the pivot 26 of the bladeholder, or in other words on opposite sides of the center of oscillationof said plates in a plane below said pivot 26 when the blade holder isin its intermediate upright position, and apart from each other adistance corresponding with the space between the open slots 15 15 ofthe sidewalls of the holding frame. The cross plate 28 is united withthe opposite extension tongues at corresponding opposite edges thereofand other edges of said tongues are provided with inward lugs 33 33. Thecrossplate 28 is provided with a central tubular barrel 28 through whichthe rod 26 passes. The cross plate 29 is hinged by barrels 29 29 orotherwise to the rod 26 and shuts within the sideplates 27 27 againstthe crossplate 28. The crossplates 28 and 29, hinged independently ofeach other on the rod 26, constitute the jaws of a blade clamp forholding a blade 30 to be sharpened. The plate or jaw 29 is provided atits opposite ends with notches 4:0 40 which permit the ears 33 33 of theplate or jaw 28 to pass in opening or closing the clamp. The clamp isheld in closed position by a bow spring 32 which is swiveled at itscenter to the jaw 29 and engages at its ends underneath the lugs 33 33of the frame with which the jaw 28 is united. The ends of the spring 32are preferably provided with roughened serrated or pebbled surfaces 3434 to create sufiicient friction to prevent the spring from workingloose while the strop is in operation. A flat blade may be held in theclamp and owing to the recesses 31 in both edges the clamp is alsoadapted to hold the type of razor blade which has an enlarged back.

In the use of this stropping device, any suitable strap strop as 25 ispassed through the carriage B and clamped with considerable pressurebetween the opposite ends of the bow spring 24 and the end crossbars 2222. The jaws 28 and 29 of the clamp of the oscillating blade holder Care swung open and a blade as 30 is placed in proper position betweenthem for sharpening. The jaws are then closed and fastened in closedposition by pressing the bow spring 32 and swinging it under the lugs 33The strap strop 25 is fastened at one end to any suitable support andgrasped at the opposite end by a hand of the operator, the handle 13 ofthe holding frame A being grasped in the other hand of the operator.Assuming that the parts are in the position shown in Fig. 1 and that thestropping device is to be moved toward the left on the strop 25 (seeFig. 3), a pull of said device toward the left (or of the strop towardthe right) will slide the holding frame A to the limit of its movementat the right of said carriage as illustrated in Fig. 3. During suchrelative movement of the holding frame and carriage the blade holder isswung over toward the right until the edge of the blade 30 to besharpened comes in contact with the strop 25 at a point opposite theflat surface 38 of the clamping spring 2 l. The first half of said swingof the blade holder is imparted by the stud 35 at the left of the pointof oscillation of said blade holder which is then in engagement with theopen slot 15 of the holding frame and the last half of said swing isimparted by the stud 35 at the right of said point of oscillation whichcomes into engagement with the open slot 15 of said holding frame beforethe stud 35 escapes from the slot 15. The friction of the strop holdsthe carriage stationary on the strop until the holding frame reaches thelimit of its movement on said carriage and then both carriage and framemove together and the blade to be sharpened is dragged along the strop.After a full stroke of the stropping device toward the left, the motionis reversed. In the initial part of the stroke toward the right, theholding frame A slides on the carriage B into position at the right ofsaid carriage and during this relative shifting of the frame andcarriage, the blade holder 0 is swung to the left of its center ofoscillation, the stud 35 passing out at the top of the open slot 15 andthe stud 35 passing into the open top of the slot 15. This move mentbrings the opposite side of the blade to be sharpened in contact withthe strop 25 at a point opposite the flat surface 38 of the spring 24and the device is then moved along said strop in a stroke toward theright whereby the edge of said blade is sharpened on its opposite side.The open slots disposed wide apart and the studs also disposed wideapart and adapted to engage said slots in alternation impart a leveragewhich quickly throws the blade holder from one position to the other andoperates to hold the edge of the blade with much force against thestrop.

The device thus constructed is simple, compact, strong and durable andmay be taken apart and packed within a very small space, and the partsmay be readily assembled when desired for use.

What I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a stropping device, the combination of a carriage provided withmeans for engaging a strap strop, a holding frame for said carriageadapted to slide back and forth thereon and provided with sidewallshaving slots open at the top thereof, an oscillating blade holderpivoted on said carriage above said sidewalls and provided with lateralstuds disposed in triangular relation with the pivot of said bladeholder and adapted to swing into and out of engagement with said slotsin alternation in reversal of the device on the strop, the entry of onestud into its slot preceding the release of other stud from its slot.

2. In a stropping device, the combina: tion of a carriage provided withmeans for engaging a strap strop adapted to slide therethrough and withtrunnions rojecting beyond its sidewalls, a holding rame for saidcarriage adapted to slide back and forth thereon and provided withsidewalls offset in their upper. parts and having slots open at the topthereof, and an oscillating blade holder pivoted on said trunnions andhaving its side plates disposed between the sides of said carriage andthe offset portions of the sidewalls of said holding frame, said sideplates having lateral studs disposed on' opposite sides in triangularrelation with the pivot of said blade, said studs being adapted to swinginto and out of engagement with said slots in alternation in reversingthe movement on the strop, the entry of one of said studs into its slotpreceding the'release of the other stud from its slot.

3. In a stropping device, the combination of a carriage, a holding framefor said carriage adapted to slide back and forth thereon, and anoscillating blade-holder pivoted on said carriage, said carriage beingprovided with means for engaging a strap strop adapted to slidetherethrough, said means consisting of end crossbars, a central crossbarand a bow-shaped spring adapted to hold said strop against saidcrossbars, said spring having a struck up socket engaging said centralcrossbar and flat surfaces adapted to rest against said strop at pointsopposite the points of engagement of the blade to be sharpened.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto set my hand this 30th day ofNovember, 1910. LIONEL D. SAXTON. Witnesses:

ANTHONY F. ARGOME, AGNES L. CLUNE.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G.

